1 . The most popular martial arts(武术) today originated in Asia, especially in China. Many martial arts were invented because people needed to defend themselves or protect others. Nowadays, people learn martial arts as a way of keeping fit or as a competitive sport, but they are still very useful for self-defense.
Martial arts are often referred to as either the soft ones or the hard ones. These term simply a way of dealing with your opponent’s force. Soft martial arts, such as tai chi, teach you to use your opponent’s force to defend yourself. Soft styles allow you to use flowing movements and timing to avoid your opponent’s attacks. These martial arts are soft for the defender but not for the attacker! On the other hand, hard styles, such as kung fu, teach you to defend yourself using force. Techniques involve blocking, posturing, powerful hitting and kicking. Hard martial arts techniques are more effective if you are more skillful, more powerful and faster than your opponent.
Perhaps one of the best known Japanese martial arts today is karate. But did you know that its roots are derived from Fujian Province? In the 4th century, a community of Chinese migrants from Fujian settled in what was then the kingdom of Okinawa. The Chinese migrants used to gather in a park to enjoy cultural activities—one of which was kung fu. This soon caught the attention of local youths, who started learning kung fu from their Chinese neighbors.
In fact, Chinese influence on martial arts was not limited to kung fu. The very first Korean military training guidebook was based on a Chinese version. During the Japanese invasion of Korea in the 16th century, the Korean army needed an effective way to train a large number of troops. They adopted a training methodology(方法) from a Chinese military book called Ji Xiao Xin Shu, written by the famous Chinese general Qi Jiguang.
1. Why did people invent martial arts?| A．For keeping fit. | B．For self-defense. |
| C．For competition. | D．For attacking others. |
| A．Using violence to attack others. |
| B．Attacking your opponent’s weakness. |
| C．Using smooth action to defend yourself from damage. |
| D．Defending yourself with powerful hitting and kicking. |
| A．The Chinese army. | B．The Korean soldiers. |
| C．Japanese troops. | D．Chinese migrants. |
| A．To train soldiers. | B．To keep soldiers fit. |
| C．To attend cultural activities. | D．To show admiration for Qi Jiguang. |
2 . You have to be a marathon runner to get meaningful health benefits from exercise. And that kind of thinking can actually be a block to getting movement.
Everything counts when it comes to movement.
The expert guideline says we should be getting 150 minutes of moderately intense (中等强度的) activity each week. But what counts as a moderately intense activity? “
Exercise is not all or nothing.
Think of starting an exercise habit like climbing a ladder. Start at the bottom and work your way up. Even a short period of exercise has value, and it can help you build up your fitness level over time. So start small. Try standing up from your chair and sitting back down repeatedly. Or just take a five-minute walk.
Focus on how exercise makes you feel.
Long-term benefits like weight loss often take time to achieve. And it can be disheartening when you don’t see results quickly.
If weightlifting in a crowded gym gives you anxiety, try getting a set of weights for home or following workout videos on YouTube or riding a bike in the park. Keep trying different types of exercise until you find an activity that makes you happy.
| A．Find a workout partner. |
| B．Basically, all movement counts. |
| C．Figure out the exercise that fits you. |
| D．What will you do to break the habit? |
| E．So what does count and where do you begin? |
| F．Starting small can help you develop an exercise habit. |
| G．Instead, focus on immediate payoffs like improved energy level. |
3 . Was there a Chinese soccer team at the Qatar 2022 World Cup? No. But one couldn’t miss Chinese technologies in and around the stadiums in this desert state: “mobile hotels” for having a rest, ponds for drinking water, the photovoltaic (光伏发电的) power stations for charging mobile phones with electricity, etc.
Did we forget something? Yes, even some stadiums were built by Chinese companies, while the gifts you could buy there, too, were made in China.
That was how China had participated in this World Cup and earlier matches, and might do so in the upcoming ones too: by providing products and services to the athletes and audiences. Those all impressed the world deeply with its technology and products.
While “Made in China” had left its stamp on earlier soccer World Cups and other sports events, what made the Qatar World Cup unique was the kinds of China’s technologies. For example, the Stadium 974, which was built by Chinese companies, was a movable “green stadium”. It could collect rainwater for future use and made the waste collected from the stadium into fertilizer (肥料). Besides, China had built an 800 MW photovoltaic station that constantly turns the rich sunshine in the Middle East into electricity for the stadium. “If those technologies had appeared in Russian 2018 World Cup, it would have been a much better one.” added a Russian football lover.
Another reason that had made it possible for Chinese companies to perform well in the World Cup was that China had developed a good economic growth. Although the whole world suffered from economic slowdown and recession because of the COVID-19 and other reasons, Chinese companies had largely continued to function normally.
1. What can we know about “green stadium“?| A．It was painted into the color green. |
| B．It could be taken to any place if needed. |
| C．It was marked on the stamps of the World Cup. |
| D．It appeared in Russia World Cup for the first time. |
| A．“Made in China” is going global. |
| B．The world economy is slowing down. |
| C．You can’t miss ”China green” in Qatar. |
| D．There’s a long way to go for Chinese football. |
| A．Change. | B．Increase. | C．Recovery. | D．Decrease. |
| A．The green stadium of China in the World Cup. |
| B．The social importance of China in the World Cup. |
| C．The historical influence of China on the World Cup. |
| D．The technological contribution of China to the World Cup. |
4 . The Isles of Scilly Fooball League is the world’s smallest official football league, consisting of only two teams that play each other seventeen times a season.
As the home of football, England has always been crazy about the team sport, and the Isles of Scilly, an archipelago (群岛) of more than 140 islands off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, is no exception. Like many other regions of England, the Isles have their own football league- -the Garrison Gunners and the Woolpack Wanderers that play each other every weekend during a season,as well as in two yearly cups and the traditional ‘Old Men versus the Youngsters’ game played on Boxing Day.
But isn’t playing against the same team every weekend gets boring after a while? Players in the Isles of Scilly Football League will tell you that life “is only boring without football”. So as long as they have someone to play against, no one complains.
Interestingly, both teams only rely on the inhabitants of St. Mary’ s island as a recruitment(招募) pool for players. The annual draft is getting harder every year, as the island’s young continue to leave in search of better prospects (前途) on the mainland. And bringing in players from the other islands is a tough task considering the difficulty of crossing during storms and in the frequent fog.“Players do come from other islands but that in itself can lead to problems. If it is too dangerous to cross, then they can’t play,“ Leathbridge said.
The world’s smallest football league shot to fame in 2008, when Adidas came to St. Mary’s to shoot its “Dream Big” commercial. Football stars like Patrick Vieira, Daniele De Rossi, David Beckham were flown in for the shoot, and the idea of a two-team league really captured people’s imagination. Football enthusiasts, news outlets and major corporations have been coming here ever since.
1. In what way is Scilly Football League different from other leagues?| A．It is crazy about team sport. |
| B．Its two teams are outstanding. |
| C．Its teams play seventeen times every year. |
| D．The teams won’t be put into a lower rank. |
| A．Enthusiastic. | B．Unsatisfied. |
| C．Sympathetic. | D．Critical. |
| A．It holds cups once a year. |
| B．Its young players have a better future. |
| C．Players all come from St. Mary’s island. |
| D．Both teams have trouble recruiting players. |
| A．Every dog has its day. | B．Love me, love my dog. |
| C．Always prepare for a rainy day. | D．Actions speak louder than words. |
5 . Figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, who won men’s singles Olympic gold medals in 2014 and 2018, said Tuesday he was retiring from competition.
He won the men’s singles gold at the Sochi Games in 2014 and again at the Pyeongchang Games in South Korea in 2018, becoming the first men’s skater to achieve consecutive (连续不断的) golds in the category since Dick Button in 1948 and 1952. At this year’s Winter Games in Beijing, he attempted to become the first man to complete a quadruple axel-4 rotations (旋转) in the air at the Olympics, a jump that he had previously come close to achieving in Japan. In Beijing, he came just short of completing the required rotations for the quadruple axel and fell on his rear, but he expressed satisfaction with his effort afterward and hinted he was ready to retire.
“In terms of how it feels for me, I don’t imagine it being all that different.” he said. “Of course, I feel strongly that I’d like to achieve success with the quadruple axel.”
Beyond his jumping ability, Hanyu’s gift for the dramatics and his gentle appearance made him popular among admirers. Some said he looked as if he had danced off the pages of a Japanese cartoon. They would throw Winnie the Pooh stuffed bears—reportedly his favorite cartoon character—on the ice after his performances. In China, crowds gathered outside the Beijing venue to express devotion to their favorite, and one Chinese follower on social media called Hanyu “the most beautiful icy fairy in my heart”.
In recent years, Hanyu has been suffering from injuries. He said he had constantly thought about retiring from competition since the 2018 Winter Games. “If we’re talking about when I considered turning professional. I was thinking about that at every single competition,” Hanyu said. He said he made the final decision after the Beijing Games as he was recovering from his ankle injury.
1. What can we know from Hanyu’s many experiences?| A．He won the first Olympic gold medal of skiing in 2014. |
| B．He is the first men’s skater to win two golds continuously. |
| C．He is the first to perform the quadruple axel successfully. |
| D．He first indicated his retirement in Beijing. |
| A．Because of his favourite stuffed bear. |
| B．Because of the Japanese cartoon pages. |
| C．Because of his popularity on social media. |
| D．Because of his looking and performance. |
| A．Unexpected. |
| B．Long-awaited. |
| C．Encouraging. |
| D．Thrilling. |
| A．Ice Prince Yuzuru Hanyu Retires from Competition |
| B．Figure Skater Yuzuru Hanyu, Satisfied with Victory |
| C．Being Injured, the Ice Prince Sticks to His Dream |
| D．The Consecutive Golds Winner Has Made His Glory |
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Take part in these sport competitions and stand a chance to win a free trip to Maldives.
| Rugby Venue: Court C Fixed group of 6 Aged 15 and above Time:9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Fee: $23/person | Soccer Venue: Court A Fixed group of 5 Group A: Children aged9 to 12 Group B: Aged 13 and above Time:12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Fee: $24/person |
| Frisbee Venue: Court A Fixed group of 6 Group A: Children aged 9 to 12 Group B: Aged 13 and above Time:9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fee: $25/person | Volleyball Venue: Court B Fixed group of 5 Aged 15 and above Time:9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Fee: $20/person |
The top team of each sport competition gets a chance of a lucky draw. Hurry! Register now. Many attractive prizes to be won!
●Registration starts on 6 October 2020
●Register online at www.ssya.com.sg
●For more information, call Ann at 6333 2212 or email ann@ssya.com.sg
●Closing date for registration: 2 November 2020
This event is proudly supported by Singule Sporting Youth Association(SSYA).
1. How much will it take your group to take part in Volleyball?| A．$100. | B．$120. | C．$138. | D．$150. |
| A．Soccer and Rugby. | B．Soccer and Frisbee. |
| C．Rugby and Volleyball. | D．Frisbee and Volleyball. |
| A．You can register online at ann@ssya.com.sg. |
| B．You should register before 6 October 2020. |
| C．The Soccer competition is held in the afternoon. |
| D．Each sports team will get a chance of lucky draw. |
7 . A young female athlete in the Philippines recently won many gold medals during a sports meet despite not having proper running shoes. Rhea Ballos, an 11-year-old student of Salvation Elementary School in Balason, Iloilo, was only wearing bandages around her feet when she competed at the Iloilo Schools Sports Meet.
Facebook user Valenzuela posted pictures of the girl with her feet wrapped in bandages bearing the famous Nike logo. Ballos even wrote the word “NIKE” on the sides of her “shoe” to complete the “Nike running shoes” look. The bandages were tightly wrapped around her feet, creating a thin protective layer against the track. While she was actually barefoot during the races, she was still able to defeat her competitors who all more proper footwear intended for running,
According to the post, Ballos bagged the top awards in the 400-meter dash, the 800-meter run, and the 1500-meter run in the girls' categories in the inter school sporting event held in Iloilo, central Philippines.
When pictures of her “Nike” footwear become popular, Flipinos on social media praised her. Many noted that instead of falling into self-pity, she was even able to make light of the situation by drawing the Nike logo on her “running shoes”. Some of the commenters of Valenzuela's post expressed how the girl deserved to be recognized by Nike and that the brand should actually give her a new pair of real Nike shoes. Others started getting in touch with the American sports brand, as well as local basketball specialty store Titan 22.
It did not take long for Titan co-founder and Alaska Aces head coach Jeffrey Cariaso to take notice of Ballos' outstanding achievement. Cariaso immediately made an effort to get in touch with the young track runner. The seven-time PBA champion has since talked to the student as well as her coaches in an apparent bid to help her out.
1. Why did Ballos wear bandages around her feet to compete?| A．She couldn't afford to buy shoes. | B．She wished to be noticed by Nike. |
| C．She wanted to draw public's attention. | D．She thought it fashionable and unique. |
| A．Surprised. | B．Confused. | C．Favorable. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Ballos will be recognized by Nike. | B．Ballos will be probably helped by Cariaso. |
| C．Ballos is bound to win more champions. | D．Ballos will become a great basketball player. |
| A．Shy and lucky. | B．Kind and brave. | C．Clever and outstanding. | D．Gifted and optimistic. |
8 . Working in and eating from a home garden can do a lot to improve your health. Not only can you get much needed daily exercise, you can also enjoy healthy meals thanks to your daily labor.
Warm up before gardening. Just as you do other types of exercise, its important to warm up before starting working in the garden.
Work in the garden regularly. In order to improve your health by getting exercise in the garden, you should do it on a regular basis. Getting 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day can lower your blood pressure.
Put in some effort. In order for gardening to count as exercise, you need to raise your heart rate and put out some physical effort while doing it.
| A．Vary your movements. |
| B．Do controlled exercise. |
| C．It can also help prevent heart disease. |
| D．Are you interested in improving your health? |
| E．Do you want to enjoy the benefits of healthy meals? |
| F．You should spend at least 5 to 10 minutes doing it. |
| G．This means that jut standing around watering is not exercise. |
9 . Being a fit and healthy person is very important for lots of people today. In fact, some people like running and exercising so much that they become obsessed with keeping track of it.
Thanks to fitness apps, people can measure every step they take, what they eat and every calorie they burn. They might wear a special watch on their wrist, shoes on their feet or use different apps on their phone to measure their movements. Importantly, once they have done that they post it on social media. All of their friends can see where they’ve run, what workout they’ve done or what they had for lunch. Sounds familiar?
Doctor Daniel Kraft from the United States makes gadgets(小器具) for people like this. He told the Digital Health Summit that these people, known as “trackaholics”, would become normal in the future.
And I think he’s right. I can see the world of health and fitness changing around me every day.
One of my friends, named Anna Palmer, is always using the latest fitness gadgets. Her favorite is an app called Argus. She uses it on her phone to measure her steps, heart rate and amount of calories she has burnt. She always posts these things, and pictures of herself exercising, on social media. “It’s nice to know exactly how much exercise you have done, rather than guess,” she said. “That way I can keep pushing myself to improve.”
Also, my friends in China use WeChat to compare how many steps they’ ve taken each day. They are very competitive about this!
1. The underlined phrase “obsessed with” in the first paragraph means “ ”.| A．busy with |
| B．angry with |
| C．crazy about |
| D．surprised at |
| A．How fitness apps work in a proper way. |
| B．What people can do with fitness apps. |
| C．What advantages fitness apps have. |
| D．How fitness apps affect social media. |
| A．run to keep fit |
| B．make fitness gadgets |
| C．choose fitness gadgets |
| D．improve their fitness |
| A．Negative. |
| B．Subjective. |
| C．Indifferent. |
| D．Positive. |
10 . Older women who walk a little over three kilometers each day might live longer than less active women of the same age, a new study suggests.
Many Americans hoping to stay healthy set a daily goal of 10, 000 steps, or about eight kilometers. They often have this goal because they are wearing electronic devices which set that target, note researchers in the United States. Their findings appeared recently in the publication JAMA Internal Medicine.
But it is not clear how much intensity(强度)or speed matter when counting the health benefits of every step, the researchers write. They add that 10,000 steps per day might not be the right goal for everyone.
For the study, researchers observed 17,000 women, all in their early 70s. They asked the women to wear accelerometers for at least four days. Accelerometers are small devices that measure the number of steps and the intensity of movement. The researchers followed up with the women much later, around 4. 3 years later, on average. Since the beginning of the study, 504 women had died. Compared to women who took no more than 2, 718 steps daily, the women who took at least 4,363 steps per day were 41 percent less likely to die.
“Even a modest amount of steps is associated with lower death rates, "said I-Min Lee, the lead writer of a report on the study. "The rate of stepping did not matter in these older women: it was the number of steps that mattered.
The study had a few limitations. For example, the researchers only measured women’s movements once, at the start of the study period. It is possible that the women’s behaviors changed over time. Still, the results are "good news for older adults who may have difficulty walking at faster paces, "said Keith Diaz, a researcher at Columbia University. He was not involved in the study.
“Any walking is better than nothing, " Diaz said by email. "With even small amounts of walking, your risk of death will be sharply reduced "For those who have difficulty walking, other research shows that any form of aerobic activity provides health benefits," he added. "Swimming, bicycling or any form of activity that is continuous in nature will provide health benefits.
1. What conclusion can we come to from the text?| A．People who walk about 10,000 steps can live longer. |
| B．10,000 steps per day might be the right goal for people. |
| C．The more steps one walks per day, the longer life he may live. |
| D．The number of steps is important for a long life among older women. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By comparison. |
| C．By listing statistics. | D．By explaining reasons. |
| A．People who walk fast will get more health benefits. |
| B．If people have a habit of walking, the risk of death will be reduced. |
| C．People with walking difficulty can not benefit from activities |
| D．Activities such as swimming and bicycling are not as beneficial as walking. |
| A．A medical journal. | B．A news report. |
| C．A magazine about fashion. | D．A traveler brochure. |
